Encouragement
by 95XxMcQueenxX95
Summary: As Lightning's amount of fans suddenly decrease for an unknown reason, he loses interest in racing. When he comes across Miguel in a strange way, Lightning notices how good he feels around him. Will he be able to change Lightning's mind? Lightning/Miguel
1. Chapter 1

Hello guys and gals, and welcome to my first fanfic! I tried my best to check my English (it's not my native language after all), but in case you find any mistakes, please don't be afraid to notify me about it! Other than that, please enjoy the story and don't be too harsh in the review section ;) !

 **Warning:** Contains yaoi (gay relationships).

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Sometimes, we have those times when we ask ourselves why we like something so much. Those dips that cause us to feel really upset. These things just seem to happen sometimes, and no matter how much you like something, most people will, sooner or later, have this kind of dip.

And this time, Lightning was the victim of this condition. And he wasn't worried about himself per se; he was more bothered with what his friends might think. Will they be let down, angry or even worse?

Well, they're friends after all, and they won't be angry, but they will definitely be let down. This made it very hard for Lightning to tell them what was going on. After all, the next WGP was going to begin next month, and he knew he will disappoint his friends if he decided to retire from this race.

Of course, Lightning didn't just feel this way out of the blue. It all began on the day he noticed that his fans suddenly seem to disappear. Sure, there was still a group of fans, but nowhere near the amount he's used to be. Ever since this was the case, he has wondered why this has happened.

Fans are very important to him, after all. It's just not much fun without them, and it sucks to see the other cars have this huge crowd. Some of them seemed to have changed their attitude towards Lightning too, which seemed odd to him, not to mention worrying.

What has he done wrong? He's friendly to his fans and to his competitors and has changed a lot, compared to how he was years ago. Before, he hasn't learned how much friends are worth, but now he knows better.

The doorbell rang, and Lightning opened the door. It's Guido and Luigi. Their happiness and excitement were just over the top. This just means one thing: the WGP was going to begin in exactly 30 days.

"Hiya McQueen, you'a know what kind of day it is'a, don't ya?", Luigi asked.

"Yes, yes I do", Lightning answered.

"Great! You will'a love the party we're throwing for sure then", Guido said, "see ya soon at Flo's-e V8-cafe!"

They both turned away happily and Lightning closed the door. He heard Luigi talking to Guido in an accusing voice, but didn't pay too much attention to it.

That wasn't his biggest concern, after all. He did want to go to the party, but that would rise the expectation that he's going to race. Not going to the party would hurt their feelings, though. They must've worked really hard on it, and all would be for nothing.

"I'll go and tell them what's up with me," he assured himself. He didn't want to make the same mistakes he has made in the past. Thinking about that made him feel very selfish, which in turn made him sad now. But he didn't know any better back then.

 _Meanwhile at Flo's V8 Cafe_ , the last things were being prepared. Flo took care of the drinks Fillmore made, Red helped Luigi climb up to hang up the Christmas lights (not that it is Christmas, but it made the place look brighter), and it was DJ's job to play some beats.

"Seems like we're done," Flo said when the last task was finished. The place just breathed racing: lots of tires stacked on top of each other (and the wonderful smell that matches it), WGP and 95-stickers, American flags and a small stage with awesome lighting.

Oh yes, and the cream of the crop, but that will have to wait until Lightning has arrived. And they couldn't wait to show him how awesome it is.

Lightning tried to make up something so he didn't have to go, but to no avail. There was just no way out. After some hesitation, he slowly opened the door and went outside. He headed to Flo's.

He could already see the lights from far away, just like he could hear the music.

" **Hey, McQueen buddy!** ", Lightning jumped from the sudden encounter and turned around.

" **Mater!** No jumpscares from now on, okay?", Lightning laughed nervously from the shock.

"I ain't doin' no jumpscares, but I like to jump when I am this happy! Lemme guide you to our party by da way, you gonna love it fo' sure!", Mater said with his cute smile. Together, they drove to the place.

"Wow, you guys did all of this... _just for me?_ ", Lightning asked upon arriving at the party. Needless to say, he was amazed by all the hard work they must've put into it.

"Ya, you gonna show us what you've got at da WGP, so we do something back fo' you", Mater said while winking at Lightning. That was what he was afraid of. The struggle was _almost_ palpable, but Lightning managed to hide it for now.

"You guys **really** didn't have to do this," he then said.

"Nonsense! And guess what? Da best has yet to come!" And there she came, dressed up like the most beautiful girl in the world. Sally drove to Lightning and invited him to dance. Something he won't ever refuse. His friends sung some karaoke at the stage, and DJ stole the show at the near end.

Drinks were being served and everyone had a great time. "I invite'a you, Lightning McQueen, to enter this'a stage," Guido said. Lightning's heart pounded while trying to figure out what to do, and how to bring the message the best way possible. He drove onto the stage and he headed to the microphone.

"Thank you very much for this awesome party, it was great. But... I don't feel really good... I'm not going to attend the WGP I think..." Everyone was shocked at first, but someone started to laugh, and so did everyone.

"Hahaha, that's a good one," Luigi said, who's next to him. _That turned out well._

After the party, everyone went home. Well, almost everyone. Lightning went with Mater, as he wanted to talk with his best friend. A friend who's always understanding (well, almost always, occasionally explanation is required) and sometimes gives some good tips. _Sometimes._

It was already midnight, so he felt safe to tell what's going on inside his head. "Mater, can I ask you some advice?", he asked carefully.

"Only if ya can prove ya can handle it," he said.

Lightning smiled a little, but quickly reverted to his original mood. "About that not going to attend WGP thing..."

"McQueen, we already understand. Someone musta been really drunk to believe ya'r not gonna attend da WGP."

Lightning didn't like where this is going. He knew if he just told him it's real, he still wouldn't believe it. And that's not really weird, because Lightning has never taken such a drastic decision before. He needs to substantiate his statement.

"Mater, you **have** to believe me on this," he almost felt a tear rolling down, "the amount of fans is not the way it used to be anymore."

Mater looked a little bit sad, even though he didn't want to believe him. "But ya never skipped a WGP-event before," he said in an attempt to be skeptic, "and ya always wanna learn Francesco a lesson."

It truly hurt Lightning to see his friend being so sad. And while it's true he wanted to race against Francesco, his will didn't feel that strong anymore.

"Ya'r not gonna skip!"

"I'm afraid I will," Lightning said. Not even his best friend could encourage him. "I'm... going home," he quickly turned away in an attempt to hide his emotions, but it was too late; Mater already noticed. "Please tell the others," he then said to Mater.

When Lightning went to Flo's, there was a wide range of emotions. Some disappointed, some sad, but surprisingly nobody was mad at him. Except for Sally.

"Did you enjoy your party, McQueen," she asked with a pissed undertone, "you know, the party we organized to celebrate that you were going to race?"

Lightning didn't see this one coming, nor did the others. Suddenly, he made himself strong, because he couldn't talk himself out of this any other way.

"Listen, I really wanted to go to the WGP, but the amount of fans is..."

"Decreasing? That reason sounds a little bit selfish, doesn't it? What about us?" Lightning shouldn't have used this as his first argument, he just thought. _Oops, too late now..._

"That's not the only reason. I just don't feel in the right mood to race anymore." Everyone looked at him acceptably, but Sally's still not convinced.

"So you're trying to explain to me that you made the sudden decision to leave Francesco, your enemy, alone this time?" "Actually, I do. I'm really sorry for you guys, but I just need some rest," Lightning said. **Maybe just too loudly...**


	2. Chapter 2

So here it is, the second chapter! This one is a bit shorter than the previous one, but I hope you'll still enjoy this one. Strange stuff happening in here, and some stuff that might confuse Lightning...

Thank y'all for your support, I really appreciate it!

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Lightning was still wondering if he made the right decision some days later. After all, he wanted to please his friends. The most obvious choice would be just to race and to ignore his sadness.

And besides his fans, there was a bigger thing that bothered Lightning. Or rather, the _biggest_ thing. He thought about it for a split second - _no, don't think about it_ \- but quickly wove it away.

Today, something strange has happened. Lightning got outside for a moment, and when he got inside, he saw Miguel.

"Wha... Miguel, is that you? What are you doing here?"

"Well, I have read the articles about you and unlike some others, I do not dislike you for that", he said.

Lightning didn't understand. What articles, and what is he disliked for by others, that Miguel liked about him?

"I'm sorry, but I really don't know what you're talking about," he then said.

Miguel looked at him and said in a calm undertone: "I am talking about your _desires._ "

It still sounded a little cryptic to Lightning, and he felt like he needed to decipher this secret.

"Think about it, I will be there if you are ready", he drove closer to Lightning (actually so close that it almost shocked him), "I will be staying at the Cozy Cone, for your information. See you at cone 7, the lucky numero!"

Miguel is a good guy, and even though he seems to be slightly on the 'aggressive' side while racing, he surely knows how to drive like a gentlecar on the roads. Most girls also think he's very attractive, and for no bad reason: after all, he's so attractive that many men are sort-of jealous at him. _But they shouldn't be worried._

Lightning didn't think a second about heading to Miguel after he entered his home without any consent, not to mention that being seen by his friends while going to one of his 'rivals' could make matters even worse. "No, I'm **not** going," he assured himself.

Lightning went outside and went for a drive. A road trip free of worries, just outside of Radiator Springs. A place where he could think, his little secret. It took some effort getting there, but energy well spent, according to him.

And indeed, the view was wonderful: the clouds slowly crawled to the right, the cars looked incredibly small from this distance and the rocks looked awesome from here. And it's **so** peaceful and quiet, he immediately felt a little bit better than before. And it wouldn't be much longer before he actually felt a lot better either; silence can indeed be a cure at times.

"Hey Stickers, what a beautiful place, why didn't you tell me about this", a voice clearly sounding like Sally asked. Lightning turned around and wondered how she knew where he was.

"Well, this is the place where I usually go to, to refresh my mind. Sometimes it feels better to be alone and take distance from the busy world."

"Wow, I didn't know you were so... deep," Sally said surprised.

"Miguel decided to turn up in this town."

"Yes, I know, he went to me for a room today. But what does this have to do with anything?", Sally asked interested.

"He asked me to visit him. It was really strange: I left my home and when I came back, he was there. I'm _not_ going to visit him after doing this."

"That may seem a little odd to us, yes - but don't forget that he lives in a small village over at Spain where he's actually used to doing that. He probably doesn't know any better," Sally stated, "and even though it might sound cliché, old habits die hard."

"Yes… But I'm still not going," he said in order to sound insistent, even though he knew Sally was right.

He sounded a little unsure, and Sally knew by now that Lighty will give him a chance. "Lighty, I'm sure you'll do what you think is right for you."

"Thank you, Sally. Your advice is golden," he said before kissing her left cheek. You can't stay mad at such a lovely guy, she thought.

"Oh yeah, before I forget: how did you find me?"

"We all leave behind _tracks_ ," Sally hinted.

He drove past Cozy Cone and stopped for a moment. Lightning was getting a little nervous, but he didn't know why. It was just Miguel, after all. And he really didn't want to go... or did he? Slowly but surely, he made the decision to move to the door, closer and closer.

"Cone 7," he thought out loud, "I can see it right there."

And before he even knew it, there he was, right at Miguel's doorstep. He rang the bell and waited nervously for a response.

And response there was; the door almost immediately swung open and Miguel smiled invitingly. "Amigo, I knew you would visit me. Come in," he then said.

Lightning proceeded and when he came inside, he noticed his memories from back in the day made an appearance. "Ah, the memories of being a young troublemaker, those were the times," he thought.

"Miguel, even though I like this place, I'm just here to make something clear," he then said insistent, "I don't like it when you enter someone else's homes without permission!"

"I am very sorry about that, but please allow me to apologize, I am not used to having to knock on the doors" Miguel tried to justify.

And apparently, the attempt of justification succeeded. "Apology accepted," Lightning said. "By the way, we don't knock on doors most of the time, we ring the doorbell."

"Oh, I did not know that. And how is your training going?", Miguel asked.

"Training? Oh, well..." should Lightning tell about the not going part, or should he lie?

"Yes, the training for the WGP, you know. Have you not done this? It is very important to be in good condition!"

Lightning already figured he couldn't lie as others could tell him the truth, so he figured he will tell him. "Miguel, I don't think I'll be at the WGP this time..."

"Why not?" Miguel asked shocked.

"I noticed the amount of fans was decreasing and now it feels like it's just not the same anymore."

For Miguel, this reason wasn't good enough. "Lightning, is that the reason for you not to attend the WGP? I think it is a coward decision for you to make, to be honest with you," Miguel said indifferently.

Lightning didn't take this message lightly. "Coward? **COWARD?** How dare you say something like that?"

"So what I understand from this, is that you only race for your fans and not for yourself and friends?"

"No, I mean yes and no-"

"If the answer is _sí_ , then stop. If the answer is no, then by all means _continuar_."

At this point, Miguel knew he was going too far. He saw Lightning's face change as fast as the seconds it takes him to reach 60 miles from a standstill. It was too late to apologize at this particular moment, and he knew that.

"You don't seem to understand, you know, complicated situations it seems," Lightning almost shouted out of anger. "This is not the way you befriend someone, if that's what your intentions are!"

Miguel now realized what he just said. He actually didn't want Lightning to stop attending the WGP, but he figured he could hopefully recover from this mistake when Lightning has cooled down a bit. Lightning decided it'd be time to leave now.

"I hope you have a nice flight back", he snarled before opening the door. "I am sorry! From now on, I let my heart speak for you and not just my mind!" _Oops, did not mean to say that…_

Before closing the door behind him and driving away, he stopped for a tiny sec to think about what Miguel just said. Is this actually what he thought it would mean? No, it can't be, that would be a little strange if he were... you guessed it...

 _...but you never know._

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So yeah, Lightning seems to get the hint ^.^ ! I don't know when the next chapter will be ready, but it will clarify some of the stuff that _might_ _leave you wondering_ , haha.


	3. Chapter 3

"I hope you have a nice flight back..." "...I am sorry! From now on, I let my heart speak for you and not just my mind!" "Sorry, **sorry, SORRY...** " the words echoed louder and more with every word.

It drove Lightning crazy, and then this shadowy figure began showing up. He came closer to Lightning, and the light from the lanterns finally revealed who the figure was.

It was Sally. Well, more or less. She got a recolor and a new paint job, and apparently she wanted to surprise him with it.

Things started to get trippy though, at the moment she opened her mouth. "Apologies for me visiting Radiator Springs, I realize it was not a good idea. I will follow your suggestion and get a flight ticket back to Spain. Adios, amigo." Her voice didn't sound like Sally at all, though; in fact, she suddenly had a male voice and spoke with an accent. She then turned around and drove away, back to the darkness where she came from.

And then he woke up. Partly from shock, and partly from the familiarity of the dream, which he remembered at a near instant. The recolor and paint job, the voice and accent… they all strongly resembled Miguel's. He suddenly felt bad for him. Maybe he was just too harsh the other day?

Lightning went outside for a drive, when he came across Mater a few minutes in.

"Lightnen'! Ya seem to look a lil' sad today. Lemme see, it be ya'r head gasket or somethin'?", Mater asked.

"Have you seen Miguel somewhere?", Lightning asked, ignoring Mater's question.

"Nope, not since he left Radiator Springs."

"What?! He left Radiator Springs? That's some bad news, very bad news…"

"Wha 'bout it?", Mater asked curious.

"I got to find him", Lightning answered and then went to Cozy Cone número siete.

Lightning found a note, stating that he agreed on how annoying Miguel was and it's better to stay away from Lightning. To his surprise, the note also said to which airport Miguel went to. Lightning figured he probably wanted him to find Miguel, so he got kind of suspicious at this point. But then he read the part where he said that he will be leaving at 19:00, which made Lightning feel even more hesitant whether he should go or not.

Lightning continued searching the room, and was at the very least surprised when he saw that his roof box was still there. Wait... did he lie to me?

He then opened the box and stumbled upon a photo list with a photo of Lightning racing, a letter and a present. He tried to read the letter, but unfortunately for him, it's in Spanish.

When Miguel arrived at the airport, he proceeded to drive to the check in counter. The heartache became worse the closer and closer he came, because it turned out not to be.

"Welcome to .. Airport, how can I help you?", the girl behind the counter asked.

The waiting times he normally perceived to be taking forever, now seem to be almost immediate. And for an obvious reason: where he first looked forward to going to Radiator Springs to be with Lightning, he didn't want to go back to Spain. Well, one side does, and the other side doesn't.

"Hello sir, are you there? What can I do for you? There are other cars in the line too," the girl politely asked and then pointed her tire at the queue.

"Oh, apologizes. Could you please look up for me when the next plane to Spain arrives," he said in a very saddened voice.

"Alright sir," she said and looked it up for him. "The next plane to Spain will arrive at 7:30 pm. I'm sorry to say that the plane is delayed. He had too much 'luggage' and he threw up," she said with a slightly disgusted undertone. It made Miguel laugh for a second, but he quickly returned to his original state.

"Thank you," he then said and drove away. This gave him some time to stay in the States for just a little longer... and wait.

"Boarders for the plane to Spain, please proceed to the check-in counter," he heard the announcer say over the loudspeaker. Standing in line and waiting, he suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from behind him. He turned around, only to find out that he indeed only **sounded** familiar.

And before he knew it, it was his turn again. It was the same lady who helped him a bit earlier. "Hello, what can I do for you this time," she said. She must've been wondering why he looked sad the whole time, and he wondered why she remembered him too.

"I would like to board the plane to..." he suddenly paused and noticed a poster hanging at the wall behind the counter. "Make your vacation worthwhile," it said. "Spain," he almost forgot to say.

"Are you alright sir," she asked, "you do look a little sad about something."

"Everything alright? No, not everything is alright! That is not even possible, it is not of your business," he said in a louder voice, along with some Spanish curse words she seemingly could understand. She backed off in shock, and Miguel let out a sigh.

He then heard the familiar voice once again, but ignored it. But then, he saw the familiar red color in the corner of his eyes. "Lightning?" he said with a louder than normal voice.

"Miguel?" he then heard from farther away than he actually expected.

"Excuse me," he said to the lady and drove away, ending up confusing her and pissing off the first few in line.

Scanning the place with his eyes while driving, he suddenly stumbled upon Lightning again, and this time for real. And then all of a sudden, hell broke loose.

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Cliffhanger! I know this chapter was kinda slow, but I hope it came out well enough! (That's also the reason why this chapter is shorter than the previous ones.)

Btw, sorry for not updating this story for a very long time. I'm very busy with school, work and other stuff, but I'll try to update it more often from now on! It's just very hard to combine fun stuff with boring stuff, haha!


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